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PC Perspectivehttp://www.pcper.com/images/podcast-logo-600x600.pngenBitTorrent Releases First Public Alpha of Its Sync P2P Storage Servicehttp://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/BitTorrent-Releases-First-Public-Alpha-Its-Sync-P2P-Storage-Service
<p>BitTorrent took the wraps off of its Sync application yesterday. The new Sync service uses the BitTorrent P2P protocol to sync encrypted files across all of your devices. It is a service that I have been wanting to see for a long time now, in fact, which was why I was ecstatic when I found out about the BitTorrent Labs program. I managed to get into the private alpha a couple of weeks ago, and have been testing it ever since. Being in an alpha state, it is still a bit rough around the edges but it shows promise and while I encourage everyone to read the full review for more details, I think it is something I can at least recommend that you should try out!</p>
<p><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/General-Tech/BitTorrent-Releases-First-Public-Alpha-Its-Sync-P2P-Storage-Service" class="inline-image-link" title="View: BitTorrent Sync_Diagram.jpg"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2013-04-24/BitTorrent%20Sync_Diagram.jpg" alt="BitTorrent Sync_Diagram.jpg" title="BitTorrent Sync_Diagram.jpg" class="pcper-inline" width="563" height="503" /></a></div></p>
<p>BitTorrent Sync creates a folder in your home/user folder called SyncApp, and any files or folders that you place in that folder are synced across your devices. Additionally, you can choose existing folders to sync outside of the default SyncApp folder, which is really nice.</p>
<p>The encryption is a bit complicated, but you are given a secret code (decryption key) when you choose to sync a folder, and you need to enter this code on any devices you want to sync. One cool feature of this setup is that you can also generate secret codes that allow temporary and/or permanent read-only access. The master code will allow read and write access, and temporary codes can also be given write access, which would be good to share files for a limited time when collaborating on a project. Even better, the Sync application will allow you to use a custom (base64 encoded) key that is longer than 40 characters if you feel the default keys are not long/secure enough.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><div class = "center-article-image"><a href="/news/General-Tech/BitTorrent-Releases-First-Public-Alpha-Its-Sync-P2P-Storage-Service" class="inline-image-link" title="View: BitTorrent Sync.jpg"><img src="/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2013-04-24/BitTorrent%20Sync.jpg" alt="BitTorrent Sync.jpg" title="BitTorrent Sync.jpg" class="pcper-inline" width="602" height="323" /></a></div></p>
<p class="rtecenter"><em>The BitTorrent Sync app for Windows--The SyncApp folder is the folder it syncs by default.</em></p>
<p>The application will sync over WAN or LAN, with a preferrence towards syncing with computers on the same local network. Changes and file syncs are initiated almost instantly, though the actual transfer speed will depend on your network connections.</p>
<p>It is a free app that allows you to sync as many files and folders as you want securely, and it&#39;s worh a look in my opinion. Combined with a VPS that allows P2P applications (Backupsy is one that will make an exception for Sync users), you can create your own <a href="http://www.pcper.com/category/tags/dropbox">Dropbox</a>-like sync solution without those pesky file size limits. (Though, currently, you would be missing out on Dropbox&#39;s versioning functionality. I hope to see that remedied in future releases.)</p>
<p>You can find more information as well as download links for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux versions of Sync <a href="http://labs.bittorrent.com/experiments/sync.html">on the BitTorrent Labs website</a>.</p>
<p><em>Yes, you may be able to tell from this post that I&#39;m excited about Sync--I am. I&#39;m glad someone that can actually code (as in, not me) has finally put together a program that I&#39;ve been wanting for a long time, and that it generally works well from what I&#39;ve been able to test so far. It&#39;s just my opinion though, if you do try it out let me know what you think of Sync!</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/BitTorrent-Releases-First-Public-Alpha-Its-Sync-P2P-Storage-Service" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/BitTorrent-Releases-First-Public-Alpha-Its-Sync-P2P-Storage-Service#commentsGeneral Techbittorrentcloud storagefile syncfolder syncp2psynctorrentWed, 24 Apr 2013 21:17:22 +0000Tim Verry57088 at http://www.pcper.com